[GWSG] PV+storage; laureate warning; oceanic heat; CA drought model; health analysis; Mapdwell

[Tilley, Al]

1.  A rechargeable solar cell-battery hybrid developed at Ohio SU cuts the cost for conventional pv-battery systems by 25% and stores energy with near perfect efficiency. http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/10/03/ohio-state-solar-battery-can-be-recharged.html  If the Ohio State cell-battery were to become commercial it would find a ready market in Germany: they are already approaching a condition in which solar cells + batteries are cheaper than the grid.  Tesla’s projections of backup battery costs would put us in the same fortunate condition.  http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/10/03/3575371/hsbc-solar-battery-germany/?elq=~~eloqua..type--emailfield..syntax--recipientid~~&elqCampaignId=~~eloqua..type--campaign..campaignid--0..fieldname--id~~
German power generation is projected to be 50% small pv installations by 2025.  In 2017 the cost of pv + storage should drop below the grid cost.  (And, implies this report, ignore the recent dark voices warning that coal is doomed to domination again as Germany drops its nuclear load.  Solar, not coal, is the comer.)  http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/energy-storage-generators-biggest-losers-50615    As Germany pursues its transition to renewable energy, it has maintained “low unemployment, a booming fiscal surplus, and now, in recent weeks, has done away with university tuition. . ..” http://climatecrocks.com/2014/10/06/energiewende-how-following-germanys-example-can-save-the-us-energy-system-create-jobs-and-grow-the-economy/  Large US builder KB Homes, in partnership with Sunpower, is offering a “double net-zero home” with a pv-battery combination and extensive water reuse.  http://cleantechnica.com/2014/10/07/sunpower-kb-home-partnership-results-double-net-zero-energy-home/?utm_source=Cleantechnica+News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ec060fdbfe-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_term=0_b9b83ee7eb-ec060fdbfe-331994013

2.  Eleven Nobel laureates are gathering in Hong Kong to warn that we are living beyond the capacity of earth to support us.  http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/in-nobel-season-laureates-fret-for-sickly-earth-601847

3.  The upper layer of ocean has been warming more rapidly since 1970 than we had thought, while the deep ocean has not, according to two new studies arising from more complete measurements south of the equator.  Results will include a warmer atmosphere and more sea level rise than previously expected.  http://www.climatecentral.org/news/oceans-getting-hotter-than-anybody-realized-18139?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed  The heat rise was measured in the Southern Hemisphere in the top 700 meters of ocean, and is 48-152% higher than previous estimates in the South, up to 25% globally.  We may need to up our estimate of the sensitivity of the climate to increased fossil fuel emissions.  A new generation of Argo floats will take measurements down to 6 km. http://news.sciencemag.org/climate/2014/10/past-measurements-may-have-missed-massive-ocean-warming ,   http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29474646#<http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29474646>

4.  A modelled megadrought of 72 years in California would mean the introduction of severe water disciplines but not the end of the state economy or of agriculture.  http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-megadrought-20141006-story.html#page=1

5.  A recent study in JAMA finds that deaths from cardiac arrest occasioned by heat stress exceed those from all other weather factors, and are likely to increase as the globe heats.  Health threats preventable by climate action include significant occurrences of childhood diarrhea, respiratory problems, food insecurity, and mental health.  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2014/oct/06/tackling-global-warming-improve-health-save-lives-money

6.  Mapdewll, using an analytical tool developed at MIT, can provide cost-benefit analyses for all roofs in a city with regard to solar power, and evaluate other sustainability options such as green roofs and rainwater harvesting.  http://cleantechnica.com/2014/10/06/rooftop-solar-mapping-tool-will-evaluate-potential-every-roof/?utm_source=Cleantechnica+News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ec060fdbfe-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_term=0_b9b83ee7eb-ec060fdbfe-331994013
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